Cooling apparatus



May 19, 1 931. F, J, DAY 1,805,809

COOLING APPARATUS Filed April 1. 1929 INVENTOR FFPED JoH/v DAY BY ATTORNEY I ing drawings, I I

. specificall portant 0 jects. I'do not limlt myself to Passed M 19, 1931 1mm) aroma DA YQ OI' L08 LNG-RIMS, CALIFORNIA.

coonme nrrana'rus Application filed April 1,

.In this specification, and the accompanyshall describe and show a preferred form of my invention, and shall mention certain of its more imthe forms described, since various changes and adaptations may be made therein without departing from the essence of my invention as hereinafter claimed, and objects 10 and advantages, other than those specifically mentioned, are-included within its scope.

This invention relates to improved equipment for treating erishable products.

I In the storage 0 perishable products, or in their pre aration for transportation, it

is essentialt at the condition of the atmosphere be such that upon their reception in the various places to which they are destined, that they will be subjected to a change of temperature to bring about a state of preservation whereby growth will be immediately retarded, 'thus' eliminating the action of fungi and prevent deleterious growths.

This treatment consists in conditiomng" the air in such a manner as will quickly reduce the temperature thereof through means having a low cost and which is simple and eas to operate;-

treating perishable products in this manner it is desirable to pre-cool refrigerator cars priorlto and during the reception of the fruit, and it is one advantage'and a prime ob'ect of the invention to pre-cool the car during the process of loading.

Especially is the present invention of aramount importance for its facility '0 installation on cars remotely switched in yards where railroad tracks make them inacces-Q sibleto the approach of automobiles, and where other means for pre-cooling is impractical.

After refrigerator-cars are initially iced it has formerly uired from six to seven in the tralrllgortation of some vegetables, such as ea ower .it is not necessary to replenish the ice in re-cooling.

hours to pre-cool t em. With the present method this can be done in four hours, and- Oauliflower is packs for shipment at a 929. Serial 11 851,584.

field heat or pulp temperature of from sixty degrees to seventy de ees Fahrenheit, cantaloupes from ninety egrees to one-hundred I de rees Fahrenheit.

uch fruit unless properly introduced at a low temperature willdeteriorate and decay because the pulp temperature would cause the fruit to develop beyond the proper state of maturity.

Furthermore, cauliflower unless properly re-co'oled will in a short time start growlng, causing s read, ricey heads and jackets to turn yel ow. Such conditions existing in fruits and vegetables diminishes the 'richness of their flavorand consequently reduces the quantity.

and value of the sale thereof.

Experiments with strawberries have shown that within twenty-four hours they start deteriorating on account of retainin their pulp temperature or field heat. Wit

the present invention fruits of this character can be pre-cooled in three or four hours,

shipped to distant markets and arrive in the same condition as when they started. Peaches picked from trees unless cooled will start to rot in two to three ays after heing placed in cold storage. Such fruits as hereinbefore described, when precooled before shipping arrive at their destination at the same re-cooled temperature which issteadily malntained during transit with saving of ice of from thirt -five to fifty per cent in the summer mont s when standard refri ration is necessary.-

. Further ob ects may hereinafter appear when viewed 1n the light of the descrlptlon following taken in conjunction with the ac- -company1ng drawin s which illustrate what is at present deeme to be a referred embodiment, of the invention an wherein,

Fig.1 is a perspective view of the coinplete apparatus as car, parts being bro rior construction.

Fi 2 is a mid-sectional view of the detacha le air conduit and its attachments.

Fi 3 is a bottom lplan view. of Fig. 2.

Be errin in detai car body 5 as at each corner an ice .unker applied to a refrigerator en away to show inteto the drawin the or compartment 6 which, for the most part, is of standard general construction. Each of these bunkers has a set of hatch 0 'ening bevel blocks? and a hatch plug (not s own) which is supplanted by the plu 8 of a licants device. Said plug 8 is tted wit in the flue 9 formed by said blocks 7 said flue being located above the bunker 6 and with the outlet 11 of said communicatin bunker. In 1g. 1 the hatch covers 10 are shown moved laterally away from the flue openings 9 in order to provide for installation of the apparatus of this invention.

Said hatch plug 8 is provided with a port 12 above which is stationed the fan. 13. Said fan 13 is housed within a sheet metal elbow 14 which, in turn,'communicates with a canvas conduit 15. Said canvas conduit 15 is referably detachably secured to said elbow means of a female collar 16 having a plurality of apertured ears 17 to receive thumb screws 18. Said thumb screws 18 are adapted to screw into ears 19 provided on a male flange 20 with which elbow 14 is furnished. p

The canvas conduit 15 and its canvas elbow 14a, provided with a series of internal resilient steel ribs 25 which keep said conduit and elbow in a diametrically ex anded condition, but which allows them to e collapsed in an endwise manner for portability. Said flexible conduit and elbow are desirably provided with waterproof air-tight canvas walls. I

Both ends of the canvas conduit 15 are desirably provided with similar means for connecting with the elbows 14, and 14a as more fully shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Hatch plugs 8 which terminate the lower portions of albows 14 and 140) are portable together with the remainder of the removable'part of the a paratus. Desirably a screen 30 is placed above each fan 13 within the elbow '14, and a screen 31 below such elbow to safeguard the fan. within the rigid elbow, as shown in Fig. 2 or within flue 9 as shown in Fig. 1.

The flexible elbow 140 may be attached to the hatch plug 8 by means of a canvas collar 33 tacked or otherwise held in .place.

The detachability and portability of the flexible conduits and their connections makes the apparatus particularly applicable to refrigerator cars in transit and also while'the cars are being switched from one yard to another before departure. The device can be kept in constant use by being removed from a car as soon as such car and its contents have been pre-cooled to the proper deee, and then placed on another car where its use is required. Or it'may be used on a car during an entire transcontinental trip, operating it under the regulation of a thermostat, to maintain an even temperature. Such a thermostat (not shown) is easily pro-- Said. screen .31 may be placedv for detac ably securing to an outside connection 36. Wires 37 and. 38 are also provided for direct connection with the electric current line of the train, thus to supply current, when desired, frbm the train dynamo, v

(not shown). The two-wa switch 39 is provided to make either electrlcal connection, as desired.

, In operation, after the bunkers 6 have been filled properly with ice, and after the well known hatch covers 10 and the hatch plugs (not shown) have been removed, the entire portable apparatus comprising the endwise collapsible conduits 15 together with the elbows 14: and 14a, is installed as shown in Fig. 1. The electrical connection is then made by connecting the plug 36 to socket 35.

The circuitous route taken by the air in performing its cooling function is indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1.

In order to hasten the pre-cooling process salt is sprinkled upon the ice in the bunkers causing a copious flow of water therefrom and also causing the air to become more rapidly cooled as it passes through. said bunkers.

The apparatus not only operates eficiently at opposite ends, a fabric tube adapted to be detachably mounted upon the top of said car to form a portion of means for circulating air through said bunkers, and means within said tube to maintain it in diametrical extension while permitting its longitudinal collapse.

2. In apparatus of character described, in combination, a car bod having ice bunkers at opposite ends, a fa ric tube adapted to be detachably mounted upon the top of said car to form a portion of means for circulating air through said bunkers, and resilient ribs within said tube to maintain it in diametrical extension while permitting its lon- Ill 

